Soren (Books)
" The Guardians Are Real " Soren is a Barn Owl, or Tyto Alba ''is the main character in the first six Guardians of Ga'Hoole books, as well as the leader of the Band and creator of the Chaw of Chaws. Later on when his beloved nephew, Coryn, dies, he becomes the new King. He is the mate of Pellimore and the father of Blythe, Bell, and Sebastiana (also called Bash). When at St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls, his pit guardian was Finny. History The Capture Soren was born in the kingdom of Tyto with his parents, Noctus and Marilla. He had an older brother named Kludd and was a witness to the birth of his sister Eglantine. One night when Soren's parents are off hunting, Soren ended up falling out of the nest. Soon, Soren was snatched by a patrol from St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls. When Soren arrives at St. Aggies, he meets an Elf Owl named Gylfie. They become fast friends and quickly discover the evil intentions of the "academy": to take over the owl world using an army of owls that have been brainwashed and wiped of their individuality in a process called moon blinking, caused by sleeping under the light of the moon. Over time Soren also began to realize that he had not fallen on accident: Kludd had pushed him. Soren and his newfound friend are assigned to work in the pelletorium, where they take out small bits of metal called flecks from owl pellets. Soren asks what the flecks are, but is punished brutally, as questions are banned at St. Aegolius. Soren was taken through a process called laughter therapy, where an owl is picked up and flown to a ridge, then plucked. After Soren recovers, he and Gylfie are caught trying to avoid the shade during the sleep march and are subjected to a more powerful process called moon scalding. Despite their dire circumstances, they resist only by reciting the legends of the Guardians of Gahoole. Soon after, they discover that the eggorium, the area where owls sit on eggs to hatch them so they can join the St. Aegolius cause, is open for workers. This happens to be the place closest to the sky which would be a good place to be if they attempt to fly away. Gylfie finds out that 12-8, or Hortense, is not moon blinked, but is instead sneaking eggs for eagles to bring to the kingdom of Ambala. However, she is caught and pushed off a cliff. The two companions also arrived at the conclusion that an adult Boreal Owl named Grimble is not moon blinked either. Their suspicion proves to be correct and Grimble teaches Soren and Gylfie how to fly and helps them to escape through the library of St.Aggies although at the cost of his own life at the hands of the Ablah General, Skench. Shortly after their escape, Soren and Gylfie encounter a Great Gray Owl named Twilight, who is journeying to find the Great Ga'Hoole Tree and they choose to go with him. Along the way they go to Soren and Gylfie's old homes to see if their parents are there, but they are not to be found. Later, Soren finds Mrs. Plithiver who revealed to Soren that Kludd had pushed Eglantine out of the nest as well. Kludd had also threatened to eat Mrs. Plithiver if she tried to tell anyone. In Kuneer they found a Burrowing Owl named Digger, whose brother, Flick, had been eaten by Jatt and Jutt of St. Aegolius. They are shortly attacked by a St. Aggie's patrol, that tries to eat Digger as well, but they are killed by Zan and Streak, two bald eagles that were allies of Hortense. After the two eagles inform Digger that his parents were killed as well, all four owls unite to form the Band and set out to find the Great Ga' Hoole Tree. The Journey Soren and his friends continue their journey to the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, even after being mobbed by crows and given lectures by owl families who think the tree a myth. They encounter a dying Barred Owl blacksmith. Gylfie asked if St. Aggie's had attacked them, to which he replies "You only wish" before dying. They stop for a rest in the Beaks, a place with lakes so clear that they can see their reflections clearly for the first time. This causes them to become obnoxious and vain, but Mrs. Plithiver becomes suspicious, theorizing that there is some magic about the place and ordering them all to leave, only for them to be caught in a storm that drives them to the edge of the Northern Kingdoms, the Ice Narrows. Puffins redirect them, and they eventually reach their destination. The band soon discover that they will be divided into different chaws to learn different skills. Soren is double chawed in weather and colliering along with an obnoxious owl named Otulissa. The weather chaw is led by Ezylryb, a grumpy old screech owl who Soren feels uncomfortable about because of his missing talon, but it turns out that the old ryb has a playful side as he gleeks about in flight. Colliering, the art of retrieving coals for blacksmiths, is lead by Poot, and Soren turns out to be exceptionally good at it. During the Great Downing, Soren is reunited with his sister Eglantine who was among the many owlets who were dropped and had been brainwashed into believing that Tytos were supreme. He tended to her night and day, but when she recovers, she is in a trancelike state, the result of being stone stunned. However, when she looks through isinglass brought by Trader Mags, she is cured, but recalls nothing of what happened to her. The Rescue'' After his worries about Eglantine subsided, Soren's worries turned towards his mentor, Ezylryb, who had not returned from his investigation of the Great Downing. Once while on a weather chaw flight, he sees his parents' scrooms, who tell him to beware of an owl called Metal Beak. Upon his return, Soren asked Bubo, the blacksmith, who Metal Beak is and Bubo tells him about a murderous owl with a metal mask. Soren asks if Metal Beak could possibly be related to the Barred Owl in the Beaks, and Bubo says that it is highly likely. He also reveals that it was a rogue smith, and tells Soren about some of the others, such as the smith in Silverveil. During the Harvest Festival, the Band sneaks out to ask the Rogue Smith of Silverveil about where Ezylryb could be, but she knows nothing. When they return, Dewlap discovers them and they are punished. At one point, Soren asks Eglantine if she remembers what happened during the Great Downing, but she remembers nothing. Soren then experiments by getting isinglass, which makes her recall being imprisoned by the Pure Ones, an organization of owls that believe in Barn Owl superiority. Realizing that they have probably captured Ezylryb, they and Otulissa, who were eavesdropping, set off to free him. They soon reach the Pure Ones' stronghold, which had been abandoned. Eglantine realizes that the three bags of the "Sacred Flecks of the Shrine Most Pure" have vanished along with the Pure Ones. Otulissa reveals that if three bags of flecks are placed in a triangle, it disrupts birds' navigational systems and that is where Ezylryb will probably be. She also reveals that fire can destroy flecks' effects and mu metal can act as a shield against it. Twilight gets some metal from the doors as Soren and Otulissa collect coals from forest fires. The five manage to destroy all the bags of flecks and find Ezylryb, but they are ambushed by Metal Beak and some of the members of the Pure Ones. Soren knocks off some of Metal Beak's mask only to reveal the face of his brother, Kludd, who charges him. Soren sets half of Kludd's face on fire, and the Pure Ones retreat, but not before Kludd swears undying revenge on his brother. Category:Characters Category:Owls Category:Barn Owls Category:The Capture characters Category:The Journey characters Category:The Rescue characters Category:The Siege characters Category:The Shattering characters Category:The Burning characters Category:The Outcast characters Category:The Band Category:Rulers of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree Category:The Chaw of Chaws